FDA Moves to Regulate E-liquid

Jul 16, 2015

For months now there has been speculation over how the Food and Drug Administration in the U.S. will handle the sale and use of e-cigarettes. On 30 June, the agency released an “Advance Notice of Proposed Rule-Making.” The ANPRM will seek “comments, data, research results, or other information that may inform regulatory actions FDA might take with respect to nicotine exposure warnings and child-resistant packaging for liquid nicotine and nicotine-containing e-liquid(s)…” Fun, right?

Among the proposed rules are that e-liquids may come with a warning similar to those found on cigarette packs, and they will have to be contained in child-proof packaging. While we certainly support consumer awareness, it’s a bit frustrating that the U.S. doesn’t trust its consumers, or the parents of its kids for that matter, to make their own informed decisions about what they purchase. Frankly, we think our customers are smart enough to make their own purchases without input from the government.

Also, the proposed regulations would lump e-cigarettes in with traditional cigarettes and other harmful tobacco products. To lump e-cigarettes and traditional tobacco products in the same category before proper research is done on the effects of vaping seems irresponsible and reactionary at best. Especially since cigarette use among American adults has declined to 19% since the increased popularity and availability of e-cigarettes. We are very wary of this, and American consumers should be as well, since many are using e-cigarettes as a quitting aid against those very products.

We’ll be following this story closely and hope that you will too. The FDA has said it plans to finalize its report by the end of the summer.